Pauline Alberta (Curtis) McGuinness

Pauline Alberta (Curtis) McGuinness, age 91, formerly a resident of Clawson, died on 21 June 2016 at the home of her son Daniel McGuinness in Beaver Creek, Ohio. Pauline was born 26 November 1924 to William Luther Curtis and Agnes McOsker in Parsons, Kansas. She moved to Michigan where she married the late David Bek McGuinness in Detroit on 6 May 1950. Together they had seventeen children. Pauline is survived by twelve of her children Daniel McGuinness, Thomas McGuinness, David McGuinness, Patricia [John P.] DuLong, Louis McGuiness, James McGuinness, Brian McGuinness, Maureen [George] Papa, Cynthia [Nathan] Krupp, Kristina [Joseph] Miller, Laura [John] Van Dusen, and Steven McGuinness. She is predeceased by her children Katherine [Laurence] Pienta, Richard McGuinness, Paul McGuinness, Pauline McGuinness, and Susan McGuinness. Her sister-in-laws, Neill Oliver and Frances Curtis, also survive her. There are 33 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren that survive her. 

From 1954 to 1991 the McGuinness family resideded in Clawson and were active members of the Guardian Angels parish. Ten of their seventeen children were baptized there, thirteen went to the parish grade school, and twelve went on to Bishop Foley High School. For many years Pauline and her children sold the Detroit News and Free Press outside of the church on Sundays. Pauline was also active in the parish's Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts programs for over ten years.

A loving mother and grandmother who enjoyed travelling and visiting her children scattered in several states, she will be greatly missed.

Family and friends are invited to a wake at the home of Patricia DuLong, 959 Oxford Road, Berkley, MI, at 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, Sunday 26 June.

A funeral mass will be held at Guardian Angels Catholic Church, 581 E. 14 Mile, Clawson, MI 48017, at 9:00 AM Monday 27 June followed by a memorial service held in the Rose Chapel of Roseland Park Cemetery, 29001 N. Woodward Ave., Berkley, MI, at 10:30 AM Monday 27 June. A reception will be held at the Berkley Parks & Recreation Center, 2300 Robina, Berkley, MI 48072, following the memorial service, from noon to 1:30 PM.

Flowers can be sent to Roseland Park Cemetery in Pauline McGuinness' name. 

Grace Helen Oliver

Gracie left us on 5 December 2012. Click here to read a tribute for Gracie. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat to read this tribute.

Jean Margaret (McGuinness) Seward, Rest In Peace

27 August 1916 – 2 December 2010

Jean was born to John P. and Nellie (Bek) McGuinness in Muskegon, Michigan 27 August 1916, while the United States was engaged in WWI. When she was only 4 years old the family moved to Detroit, Mighigan. She graduated from Northwestern High School in 1934 and went to University of Detroit until 1937. At the age of 21 her ambition was to be with the Metropolitan Opera Company.

Her brothers and sisters wrote a memory on the McGuinness web site about Jean: “Jean had studied voice lessons under the tutelage of Professor Marcus Kellerman, a prominent voice teacher in Detroit. Jean was a very serious student of concert singing, and Professor Kellerman thought she had unusual promise. She was also quite a thespian, and had acted in many school plays—always with pronounced success. Professor Kellerman thought that she should go to Paris to study advanced voice lessons there. This caused consternation in our small family; obviously, Dad did not have the money to send her that far away for such a long time.”

Much could be written on this one subject, alone, but one immediate solution was for Jean, accompanied by Professor Kellerman, to give a subscription concert at the Detroit Institute of Arts Auditorium. This was not Jean’s first solo concert. This very successful subscription concert raised a fair amount of money. This enabled Jean in 1936 to go off to study music at the City University of Paris. Aunt Marguerite was very generous in assisting Jean with her studies in Europe, after her concert funds were exhausted. Aunts Marguerite and Maude also went to Paris to see Jean in 1939. Bboth of the aunts were fortunate to return from Europe by trans-Atlantic steamer just one week before Hitler started WWII! Both of the aunts said later that signs of war preparation were everywhere in both France and Germany during the summer.

The Detroit Free Press newspaper article written before she left in October 1937 said, “Her next objective, after a year or so of private study in Paris, is the Paris Conservatory of Music.  After that, several years in European opera troupes. In seven years, she hopes, she will be ready for America.”  Her hopes were dashed by WWII. You can read on this web site her endearing story of the fall of Paris.

Jean returned to the United States where she attended the Curtis Institute of Music in New York city in 1940. After a strain on her vocal cords, it was recommended that she not pursue her career in music. She returned to Detroit where she was a hotel receptionist for a short time. This is where she met her husband to be Leslie Calvin Seward II. They were married in October 1942.

Jean and Leslie had three sons, Leslie C. III, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida,  John who was the caregiver  for her in Houston, Texas, and Gregory of Frisco, Texas. After John was born in 1947, the family moved to Downers Grove, Illinois.  Jean went back to school in 1956 at the Chicago Institute of Arts. The family moved again after Leslie C. II retired in 1975. The move to Texas was to pursue Leslie’s love of boating and the warmer climate as they grew older together.        

Richard Dean McGuinness, Rest in Peace

19 December 1956 - 26 October 2009

Richard was sometimes known as the “Gentle Giant”, standing at 6 feet 3 inches. His reddish blond hair and blue eyes caught the attention of many.  He was the tallest and seventh of David and Pauline Curtis McGuinness’s children. He was on the quiet side and appeared to be shy to some people ever since he had a slight speech impediment due to his tongue being tied (septum under tongue prevented him from pronouncing his R’s ) as a child. He always enjoyed playing with all his brothers and sisters growing up. He was on Clawson High School’s football team and wrestling. After graduation he tried college at Northwestern Michigan University where his cousin Dennis Curtis was going. He was a hard worker and very good with his hands. His occupation was a production worker at Zimmerman – Ingersol Rand. He liked to dabble in fixing his broken down cars. He was fun to travel with. He had a silver van that some called the silver bullet. There were many a fond memory in that van for several of the boys and girls in the family. You rarely would see him in a bad mood. He gave his body to science in the end. He left behind his wife Patricia Frankowiak and her son Jesse of Oklahoma, as well as his own son Eric.

Louis Joseph McGuinness, Rest in Peace

The Washington Post published the following obituary on 3 October 2007:

MCGUINNESS LOUIS J. McGUINNESS Capt. USA (Ret.) Of 1263rd Engineer Combat Battalion, LOUIS J. McGUINNESS of McLean, VA, on Tuesday, October 2, 2007. Beloved husband of Wanda O. McGuinness and the late Dolores Dalton McGuinness; father of Moira McGuinness and the late Mark McGuinness; stepfather of Michael, Mark and Jerry O'Dell; brother of Nell Therese Oliver and Jean Seward and the late Mary Agnes Landers, John, James and David McGuinness. Also surviving are 13 stepgrandchildren and 62 nieces and nephews. Friends may call at the MURPHY FALLS CHURCH FUNERAL HOME, 1102 W. Broad Street (Rt. 7), where the family will be present from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, October 5, and where prayers will be said at 6:30 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, October 6 at 11 a.m. at St. John the Beloved Catholic Church, 6420 Linway Terrace, McLean, VA. Graveside services will be held on Tuesday, December 11 at 1 p.m. at Arlington National Cemetery with Full Military Honors. Family requests contributions may be made to Capital Hospice, P.O. Box 1576, Merrifield, VA. 22116-1576

A well done obituary, but it barely touches on the man and his qualities that made him so endearing. Uncle Louis was an amiable and cultured man. In chatting with him you would be swept through a dazzling array of political, economic, social, and religious topics on which he would more than hold his side of the conversation with brilliance and humor. It was a delight to ask his opinion on events in the news because he was so well informed. In a life marked with both joy and sorrow, Uncle Louis was indeed fortunate to have found the love and support of two great wives and to be able to rely on his charming daughter. If all of us could live our lives with half of the style of Uncle Louis, then we could indeed be counted as successes. He will be missed by all. Our deepest sympathies are extended to Wanda and Moira.

Emma Jane Conklin, MD, Rest in Peace

Obituary from the Desmond Funeral Home:

Emma Jane Conklin, MD
Born in Detroit, MI on Jun. 25, 1924
Departed on Mar. 13, 2007 and resided in Troy, MI.

EMMA JANE CONKLIN, M.D. ~~~ FORMER EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATOR of WAYNE COUNTY GENERAL HOSPITAL (ELOISE)

Dr. Conklin, age 82, died Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at William Beaumont Hospital, in Royal Oak, Michigan. She was born June 25, 1924, in Detroit, to Charles and Mary (McGuinness) Conklin. She was a resident of Troy.

Education: Dr. Conklin earned a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Detroit, and subsequently a Medical Doctor Degree from University of Michigan Medical School in 1949. She was a “pioneer” graduate of the Medical School. She served her internship at St. Louis University Hospital.

Occupation: Medical Doctor. As an Executive Administrator at Wayne County General Hospital (formerly Eloise), Dr. Conklin was the only female to hold that position there. She remained at that hospital until it was sold. She practiced medicine until the end of 2006.

Dr. Conklin specialized in internal medicine, and in the 1950’s moved toward a specialty in nuclear medicine. Dr. Conklin loved to travel, especially to Scotland. She loved the history of Scotland, including its mason houses and castles. And she was an avid reader. She was a member of the Michigan Board of Medicine from 1984-1992.

Dr. Conklin was very family oriented – her family and medicine were her life. She loved to share her knowledge of medicine and mentored her niece to become a doctor. She maintained her dignity in a male-dominated profession.

Deceased Spouse: the late Norman A. Nelson, M.D.
Surviving Son: Erik Nelson
Surviving Brother: Charles Conklin, Sr. (Sheila)
Also: many loving nieces & nephews and great-nieces & nephews

Visitation: Friday, March 16, 2007, from 2-8 PM at A. J. Desmond & Sons Funeral Home, 2600 Crooks Road, Troy, MI (between Maple and Big Beaver Roads). Funeral Service: Saturday, March 17, 2007 – 11:00 AM at the funeral home, with Deacon Brian Carroll officiating Memorial Tributes may be made to: Beaumont Hospice, c/o The Beaumont Foundation, P.O. Box 5802, Troy, MI 48007-9620

Joseph McGuinness, Rest in Peace

Joseph Michael McGuinness, the son of the late John Peter McGuinness and Aileen Teresa (Moroney) McGuinness died unexpectedly on 6 January 2006 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Joe was born in Detroit on 15 July 1946. He served as a Medical Corpsman in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. Navy Corpsmen serve as medics to the United States Marine and it was in this capacity that he was grievously wounded around 1967 in Vietnam. Many of us knew Joe as a quiet and serious fellow, but he also could be rather humorous. His brother Kevin remembers the time he won a life-size Raggedy-Ann doll at the school fair. The doll had strap-on feet so you could dance with it. He burst into the house and demonstrated his new acquisition to the great joy of his mother, though the younger kids were a little terrified by the odd looking date. Joe liked sports and camping, read voraciously, and could be both stubborn and adventurous according to Kevin. He will be missed by his siblings and his many cousins.

John Peter McGuinness, Rest in Peace

Obituary from the 26 October 2005 Detroit Free Press:

October 25, 2005 Of Fenton, age 92, died Monday, October 24, 2005 at Alterra Wynwood. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11AM Thursday, October 27, 2005 at St. John Catholic Church, 600 North Adelaide Street in Fenton, Father David Harvey officiating. Burial in St. John Catholic Cemetery with a military graveside service under the auspices of the Marine Corps League Flint Detachment #155 Honor Guard. Those desiring may make contributions to The Salvation Army or North End Soup Kitchen. Visitation 5-8PM Tuesday, 11-2 and 5-8PM Wednesday at the Swartz Funeral Home, 1225 West Hill Road. A rosary will be prayed at 7PM Wednesday evening at the funeral home. Mr. McGuinness will be at the church from 10:30AM Thursday until the time of the Mass. He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on May 29, 1913, the son of John and Nellie McGuinness. He married Aileen Moroney on August 12, 1944 in Brooklyn, New York and she preceded him in death on June 2, 1993. He was a very active member at St. John's of Fenton and was very active in the Befrienders Ministry. John Peter McGuinness joined the Marine Reserves on April 1, 1936 and became a 2nd Lieutenant on graduating from the University of Detroit in 1938. In November, 1940 he was called to active duty as a 1st Lieutenant and became part of the newly formed 1st Marine Division at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Early in May, 1942 then-Captain McGuinness left Portsmouth, Virginia aboard the USS Electra as the commander of the advance engineering echelon of the 1st Marine Division, landing at Wellington, New Zealand early in June to prepare a training camp. Plans changed with the discovery of a Japanese airfield under construction on Guadalcanal. When the full division arrived in Wellington, it promptly re-loaded its ships for combat, sailed up toward Fiji to join a naval group, and landed on Guadalcanal on August 7, 1942. Captain McGuinness was promoted to Major during his service on Guadalcanal and subsequently served as the executive officer of an infantry battalion during operations on New Britain. The 1st Marine Division then went to the Russell Islands, where McGuinness was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and put in command of the 1st Battalion. In August, 1944 he was ordered back to the United States to train engineering replacement units at Camp LeJeune. The following year Lt. Col. McGuinness was due to rejoin the 1st Marine Division on Okinawa in August to prepare for the invasion of Japan. However, the atomic bombings of Japan ended the war before he had to leave and he returned to civilian life in the autumn of 1945. Surviving are seven sons, John and wife Rosemarie of McLean, Virginia, Joseph of Ann Arbor, Kevin and wife Linda of Somerset, New Jersey, James and wife Christine of Saginaw, Paul and wife Sherrie of Grand Rapids, Thomas and wife Nancy of Alameda, California and Stephen of Holly; four daughters, Mary Rose MacMillan and spouse Dana Ellen MacMillan of Detroit, Aileen and husband Lenard Koziol of Commerce Township, Margaret and husband Erick Buchholz of Detroit, Kathleen and husband Dennis Hodges of Flushing; daughter-in-law, Lorraine McGuinness of Rosebush, Michigan; former son-in-law, Pat Prost of Livonia; 21 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; brother, Louis and wife Wanda of McLean, Virginia; two sisters, Jean and husband Leslie Seward of Houston, Texas and Nell Oliver of Grosse Pointe, Michigan; a host of nieces and nephews. He was also preceded in death by his son, Eugene, in 1991; his parents; two brothers, David and James and sister, Mary Agnes Landers.